For starters, while Paisley did indeed know the gender before most people on the planet, he was only a few minutes early. Sure, the reveal itself was undoubtedly a scripted part of the show, but Paisley didn't actually find out what gender he would be revealing to the world until just seconds before the two award hosts took the stage for their opening monologue.

Spilling the big secret presented itself as an idea during and early brainstorming session between Underwood and Paisley as they were planning their seventh year of hosting the CMAs. When Paisley found out that the expectant mom wasn't planning to keep the gender of her baby a secret, he asked Underwood to keep it under wraps -- even from him -- until the night of the show.

Remarkably enough, Underwood went for it.

"So, we were standing in our places [at the 2014 CMA Awards]," says Paisley in an interview with Country Countdown USA, "They were about to say, 'Please welcome your hosts,' and [she] looks at me and goes, 'Come here,' and she goes, 'It’s a boy!' And I said to her, 'I know.'"

Believe it or not, the 'Perfect Storm' singer says he really did know that Underwood was having a boy before she told him on Country Music's Biggest Night. And he was more than happy to use his signature comedic charm to reveal it to the rest of the world. Even though he promised not to reveal the gender she whispered in his ear on stage, Paisley "accidentally" let it slip a few minutes later while talking about Garth Brooks.

"You could name him Garth!" Paisley exclaimed to a packed house at Bridgestone Arena and all of the viewers at home.

And if Underwood had been having a girl? "I was gonna say, ‘We could name her Garthette!'" says the hilarious country entertainer.

Paisley says that the best part, though, was the fact that no one actually knew if he was telling the truth or just making another joke in the opening monologue.

"Then the funny part was, people didn’t know if we were serious!" Paisley says. “They were texting her publicist if it was true, and they didn’t know either! It was a great way to do it."

Here's to some of the best-kept secrets ... being revealed on national television!